


Slowly, Softly, and Suddenly All at Once.

by OneFail_AtATime



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: 1920s, F/M, Friendship, Not Canon Compliant, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 06:16:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneFail_AtATime/pseuds/OneFail_AtATime
Summary: When Edith Crawley arrived in London one afternoon, she had no way of knowing that the person she would run into would also be the one to help shape the life of everyone around her. The life changes started slowly and then suddenly, all at once.When Nora Hayes planned to introduce herself to Lady Edith Crawley, she had no way of knowing just how much was about to change, for better or for worse.





	Slowly, Softly, and Suddenly All at Once.

They would say that nothing truly good ever happened on a Monday.

At least, that is what the women at The Sketch had all decided. Because every Monday morning, Mr. Skinner would roll into the office, demand his morning coffee, and immediately begin to spew a stream of demands that were threaded with insults.

It’s the exact reason why Nora Hayes, a writer employed by the magazine, took a great deal of deal to make it into the office that very morning. Her time spent away had been a reprieve but she knew that it wouldn’t be allowed to last forever. Her prolonged walk to the office also gave her the amount of time to think about just how much had changed since she had been hired in to her position. The company’s owner that had hired her was gone and a disgruntled, condescending editor had taken his place. It had become a frustrating work environment to say the least.

But in the end, she supposed it was still better than what she had managed to escape all those years before. It was still better than the place that she had called home.

The secretary at the office greeted Nora with a bright smile. “Nora, it’s good to see you back here! Was the trip to Spain exhausting?”

“Not as much as expected. La Reina is doing so well, though the political climate is changing. Though we can’t expect Mr. Skinner to let me write about that.” At the mention of the editor, Audrey exhaled sharply, catching Nora’s attention. Her gaze narrowed and she moved closer to the secretary’s desk, tossing a glance over her shoulder to check for the unbearable man. “Audrey. Did something happen?”

With a cautious glance in the direction of Skinner’s office, Audrey looked back at the young woman with a frown. “Mr. Skinner tore apart Helen’s article. He said it was rubbish and that her work only continued to get worse. She was in tears when she left earlier this morning.”

Nora did her best to suppress her anger in that moment, though she was sure that some expression managed to escape. “Helen’s the most descriptive writer that we have here. Mr. Gregson stole her away from The Lady to have her work for us. What could Skinner be thinking? Is he mad?”

Audrey rolled her eyes. “Maybe that women are dangerous?” With another glance across the hall in the direction of the editor’s office, she leaned over her desk to speak softly. “I’d say he’s rather upset. Lady Edith’s been in and out of the office over the last few weeks and she’s been talking with us women, asking questions.”

“Lady Edith Crawley’s been in the office?” Nora questioned. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought. “That’s excellent.”

“Really?’ The secretary raised her eyebrow. “Why?”

“Just a thought.” Nora’s gaze flickered back down the hall and to the writer’s room. “What about Helen? You said she left?”

Audrey nodded. “After the argument with Mr. Skinner, she just took off. But the group of us are getting together at The Royal Bess tonight to cheer her up.”

“Would you mind adding another to the list? I want to support her” Nora asked, clearly surprising the other young woman.

“Really? You never usually go out with us.”

Nora nodded. “I know but this is important. Helen is one of the best writers that we have and I don’t want Mr. Skinner to push her out like he did to Rose Marie.” Adjusting her grip on her writing bag, she smiled back at Audrey. “I’ll let the others know that I plan to join. We’ll have a good evening without that God awful man breathing own our necks like he does in the writers’ chamber.”

“It’ll be a well-earned evening for all of us.” Audrey agreed.

“Quite right.” Sparing one last glance around the hall, she nodded at the secretary in parting. “I best get to my desk. I’ve written this month’s travelers’ article but there are always edits that he’ll call for.” The two women separated in agreement and Audrey returned to her work. Nora continued down the hall to the main chamber where the writers’ desks were organized in the center of the room. She greeted her coworkers as she passed. The men were cordial enough, as they always were, but the women seemed somewhat disturbed. Nora found her desk cluttered with memos from her time away and so she sat down with a determined focus, getting to work immediately. Her time away had brought a sense of renewal to her and she was determined that it should lead to a much needed change.

. . . . . . . . .

Hours later and Nora was finally making her way through the crowded restaurant as she searched for the group of fellow writers that were expecting her. The mood in the office had been tense, an atmosphere that hardly allowed for any conversation that wasn’t strictly work related. If any of them had been caught discussing their dinner around Mr. Skinner then they could have all expected another long winded tirade.

She found it extremely annoying that a man like that was responsible for the wellbeing of so many others. If his attitude and lack of creativity drove the magazine into ruin then they would all be out of jobs. And finding work as a woman would always be harder than trying to find work as a man, no matter what decade.

Nora was so caught up in her internal frustration that she nearly missed the table where the other journalists had gathered. It was only their shouting her name over the music that finally caught her attention and she turned round to see them all waving in her direction. Smiling brightly, she wove her way through the crowd and began to greet everyone that she hadn’t been able to speak to at the office. “Are we all here then?” She asked as she looked at the women gathered around the table. As everyone nodded, Nora’s gaze settled on a petite blond who sat at the middle of the table. She did her best to smile encouragingly. “Helen, how are you?”

The blonde shrugged. “A bit better, though I’m dreading going in tomorrow. I’ve had my time to calm down but that doesn’t mean that the old boozehound will be in any better mood.”

“I was just telling her how he was on edge for the rest of the day.” Audrey explained with a glance towards Nora as she took her seat. “He wears on my nerves.”

“He wears on us all.”

“And he’s only gotten worse since we’ve learned that Mr. Gregson won’t be returning.” Helen explained with a pained expression.

“It’s not fair to any of us.” Nora agreed. “IT was terrible to come in this morning and hear of everything that he said to you. Your work certainly doesn’t deserve it.”

“Is that what you’re doing here then?” Another writer, Louisa, asked as she cut straight to the point, just as she always did.

If Nora heard the judgement in her fellow writer’s voice then she didn’t show it. “I’ve been away for a number of weeks and a lot has changed. I’m here tonight so that we can talk about it.”

“Nothing’s changed.” Helen said dismissively.

“But it has.” Nora insisted. “Lady Edith has been to the office a number of times already according to Audrey.” The secretary nodded in confirmation. “She’s taking an interest in the magazine.”

“What could that possibly mean for us then?” Louisa questioned.

Nora frowned at her counterparts. Perhaps the time away from the office and the toxic management had given her an outside perspective but either way, she was determined not to lose the opportunity.

“We are the only women left at the magazine. We are some of the very few that remain who were hired by Mr. Gregson himself. He had his own reasons for leaving the magazine to Lady Edith and she’s just now showing a true interest. This is our time to show her what we really want, what we really _need_ for our magazine.”

“And how are we supposed to do that? Mr. Skinner doesn’t listen to any of our ideas.” Kate, the youngest writer among them, was clearly made anxious by the conversation. She was the last to have been hired by Mr. Gregson and was always hesitant to do anything that would jeopardize her position at The Sketch.

But Nora was determined. “Lady Edith will listen if we give her the chance. I’ve read the column she wrote before Mr. Gregson left. She’s educated. She’s opinionated. She’ll have her own ideas for the magazine, I’m sure of it.”

“Will it make any difference though?” Louisa asked dismissively. “We can befriend her all we want but Skinner is the editor, not her.”

“He may not be the editor but at the end of the day, his pay comes from the same place as ours: Lady Edith’s pockets.”

A number of the girls looked uncertain, Audrey included. “Are you positive this is a good idea, Nora? What you’re suggesting sounds almost … rebellious.”

It was Nora’s turn to finally smile. “I’m American, Audrey. Rebellion’s in our blood.”

**Author's Note:**

> Out of all the ships that the series ended with, Edith and Bertie became my absolute favorite. But the series end (and the movie) left a lot of things unsettled with me or were just too rushed. Edith and Bertie deserved an entire story line of their own. Tom deserved a romance that wasn't rushed in a hasty way to give him a happy ending. And so the fix-it fic was born.


End file.
